


wrong e-mail

by bravewhenfearful



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti)
Genre: Anxiety, Bad Flirting, Bike, Developing Friendships, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Flirting, Hanbrough, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, M/M, Misunderstandings, One Night Stands, Reddie Centric, background benverly, email, emeto
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-17 13:34:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29101089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bravewhenfearful/pseuds/bravewhenfearful
Summary: Loosely based on the movie "You got mail" (1998)'. It is not necessary to watch it to understand the plot of this fic.Eddie owns a book store. Richie is heir to the Tozier and Tozier Publishing Emporium. Yes!! This is an enemies to lovers fic...Based on a post by @kasprants on Twitter
Relationships: Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Bill Denbrough/Mike Hanlon, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Patricia Blum Uris/Stanley Uris
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Eddie was exhausted. Tired from work and sick of Myra harassing him at every turn. During dinner he couldn't even talk about vegetables because the woman went into an unnecessary explanation of healthy diets, while berating him for suggesting a change in the week's menu. Not only was it useless, but it made her even angrier, when he apologized afterward. In the end Eddie left half the food on the plate and excused himself to go to bed early because of a headache, which he would never mention was caused by the woman.

While in the shower, before going to bed, he thought he needed to talk to someone. Who could listen to his complaints? He was leading a good life, from a third party's point of view ... but from his point of view it was not pleasant. He didn't complain about what he had ... It was what he didn't have, which made him feel an emptiness in his chest on those sleepless nights, which were becoming more and more common.

He finished his routine and although he was sleepy, he did not want to go to bed with his wife still upset and still very awake. He apologized saying that he should check some e-mails before going to bed. Myra just looked at him suspiciously.

As he answered the last one he remembered Bev.In his inbox was an old e-mail where they had arranged to meet at an event, which Eddie did not attend due to a last minute emergency from Myra.It bothered him even more to remember that it had all been a false alarm.

He clicked on the e-mail and saw her friend's cell phone number. He added it to his contacts and sent an encrypted message.

'Hi Bev. It's Edna. I'd like to know if you have time for a coffee and reconnect. '.

He knew he should use a pseudonym to prevent Tom from causing trouble for Bev. He sighed. It had been so long that he couldn't remember when was the last time they had met in person. The sound of a message distracted him.

It was Beverly.

' _Hi Edna, dear. Of course I can. But if we are going to talk about business it would be better if we go for it by e-mail._  
_Beverly Marsh '._

Eddie was surprised and then felt a pang of sadness. It was obvious that Tom was aware of every message and so Beverly had switched to e-mail. He felt sad that he couldn't help his friend and wondered how alike their lives were. Both trapped in loveless controlling marriages.

On his laptop he wrote a short message to the woman's work email. Seconds later he received an answer. He saved Beverly's mail as R. 

_'Hi Eddie, honey. Sorry to switched to e-mails. Tom does not check anything related to work orders. If you like we can meet tomorrow Saturday at 9 am at.. .. '._

Eddie smiled. He knew they both had a lot to talk about. At least they could vent together.

_'It's ok to me. See you tomorrow, Red. '_

  
*

  
\- "Red ?. Stop making fun of my hair and I'll stop making jokes about your dimples!".

\- "Haha. Good to see you, Bev ...".

They both sat down after hugging. They were at a beautiful coffeshop on a low-traffic corner. It was a special little corner which the woman loved for their delicious coffee. Eddie shared the pleasure.

To save face, on the table were some clothes cathalogs that her friend had brought in case any journalist identified them. Eddie looked through some and ordered some clothes for himself.

After a couple of hours, they set to only make contact by e-mail. Under the pseudonyms R and Edna.

  
*   
The weeks passed. It was more difficult to meet with Bev now that she was promoting her new winter collection. At least he had managed to see her for a few seconds at an event he was invited to that night.

Of course his wife did not stop criticizing the style and colors of the collection. Eddie felt annoyed to the point that he had to excuse himself to go to the bathroom. He actually went to one of the secluded balconies. 

He lit a cigarette and leaned against the verandah, looking at the city in the distance. His brow furrowed. Bev seemed tense during the night.Eddie had even catched one time when Tom squeezed the woman's forearm hard, to keep her away from some male celebrities. 

If he knew Beverly would agree to stay in hid bachelor apartment, which he still kept, he would have offered it to her again. But the woman was terrified of her husband. Eddie hoped she would change her mind. He will hint at it next time they meet.

The place was small, but it was his refuge when arguments became more tense at home. Sometimes he could spent two days there. Myra thought he was away on business trips. It wasn't fancy, but it was better than nothing.

Suddenly, someone else invaded the lonely space of the balcony.

A tall man with glasses ran to the verandah and started panting. He didn't notice Eddie was there and shoved him a little roughly with his shoulder, causing him to drop his cigarette.

The shorter man got very angry and was about to yell at him when he saw the other man sweating profusely and looked pale. Eddie walked over and began to draw circles with the palm of his hand on the stranger's back. After a few seconds of encouraging him in a gentle voice, he no longer seemed like he was about to throw up.


	2. Chapter 2

The stranger took off his thick-framed glasses and squeezed them in one hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead with the other. 

\- "Mnnngg..than-thank you man. My stomach almost went out for walk. Uggg I hate these damn events ..".

He straightened up, wiping his mouth with a white handkerchief from his pocket. Eddie couldn't stop looking at him.

He was tall. Really tall. With dark hair, combed nicely back with some hair product that made it look shiny and soft. His eyes were of a beautiful dark blue like the sea. The graceful curve of his nose ended in thin lips that surrounded an awkward smile. Eddie blushed.

\- "Ah..Sure. No problem. Are you okay?"

The shorter man said lowering his gaze and then remembering that the other still felt sick he looked back into his magnetic eyes.

\- "No, but I'll feel better when the night is over .. Man, I can't wait to get out of here..."

They chatted a bit, next to each other leaning on the veranda. The wind played with the man's hair and the lights of the city were reflected in his blue eyes. Eddie was spellbound.

The tall man told him that he was there to make business connections in the place of his father and his assistant was unable to attend because he was ill with the flu. So the representation of the company at the event fell on his shoulders. 

They joked a bit about the attendees and their companions. Finally Eddie's cell phone vibrated with 10 messages in a row from Myra and he had to excuse himself with a smile.

\- "Oh I must go. It was a pleasure. My name is Edward Kaspbrak."

He said extending his hand. The other shook it, smiling wide. Eddie felt a little uncomfortable by the sensations it aroused in him. He thought about analyzing them later, as he shook the offered hand.

\- "Richard ... Oh. This is my card. And Thanks for your help. If you hadn't been here, I think I would have vomited and would probably be sitting on the floor."

Eddie laughed. They looked at each other for a few seconds and parted ways with a smile.

  
*   
That night Eddie couldn't sleep. He got up .He found Richard's card and entered his number and email on his laptop. He rubbed his eyes with exhaustion, but he still didn't feel sleepy. 

\- " _Hey, Red. Are you awake?"_

_\- "Hey. Eddie. Yes. Tom is sleeping. I'm still working on the upcoming collection. Did you like the suits?"_

_\- "Yes, thank you. And thank you for inviting me. I'm sorry I didn't talk to you longer, but Tom seemed upset and Myra almost ripped my arm off trying to get away from you ... God, Bev, what happened to our happy lives? .." ._

_\- "Are you okay, Eddie ?."_

_\- "Yes, excuse me .. I just .. sometimes .. I look back and wonder what happened? .. You know .. I met someone today .."._

_\- "Omg! Eds. Tell me everything .. It was at the party right? .."._

_-"Yes..."._

_Eddie smiled. His fingers played with the hem of her shirt. She thought of how pathetic he looked sitting at his desk in his T-shirt and pajama bottoms, writing to his best friend about a stranger who nearly vomited on a balcony. He covered his face with his hands._

_He thought, what was the last time you felt like this? He hardly remembered anymore. Last time he must have set in high school, when he had a silly crush over a guy with glasses and braces. He did not come to walk for fear of being exposed at a time when being bisexual was not well regarded._

_\- "Come on! Don't keep me in suspense. Tell me. How are they? .. Let me live my romantic fantasies through you."_

Eddie chuckled. He covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to make a noise.

It was almost 3 in the morning when he finished telling her. He looked for a few seconds at her friend's email and then at the last saved email address.

Richard.W.T

He smiled and shook his head. He closed his laptop.

Myra was standing right behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Eddie was at the bookstore. He had arrived very early trying to avoid breakfast with his wife. Everything had been very awkward since the night before. They had argued. It had gotten into Myra's head that Eddie was cheating on her with another woman.

Eddie had managed to calm her down a bit, but he was exhausted. He busied himself organizing books on the shelves and taking out some of the boxes from the back to enter them into the system.

An hour later, Bill walked through the door of the store. The bell that Frank Kaspbrak had placed 50 years earlier announced his arrival.

\- "Good morning. Did you fall of-off the bed ?."

Said his friend and employee, placing two cups of coffee and a box of pastries in front of Eddie, who laughed sarcastically.

\- "Haha. Good morning, Bill. Thanks for the coffee..Myra and I had an argument ..".

\- "Again?! ... wow !. T-that's 3 times this week." 

Eddie supported his face in one hand and sighed.

\- "I don't know what the hell to do anymore .. I feel like we've both changed. And it's like two strangers living together."

Bill took a bite of his pastry and took a sip of coffee. He frowned.

\- "And the s-sex? ..".

Eddie rolled his eyes. And kept entering codes into the computer.

\- "What sex ...".

Bill finished eating. Eddie lifted his terrible coffee for the first time and took a sip. He frowned. Bill kept talking with his mouth full.

\- "Sooo maybe you should-you should change of .. target audience ..".

\- "BILL !.".

\- "What ?! I'm just say-saying. It worked for me."

They both laughed at the ridiculousness of their lives.

Bill had broken up with his girlfriend of years, Audra, for her infidelity and then he had had a single, incredible and crazy one night stand, completely wasted in alcohol, with a beautiful black stud. It had opened his eyes in an unusual way. 

Since then he would go out to gay bars every now and then to try and find the mysterious man to no avail, but he had had a few flings here and there and that encouraged him to enjoy his life. He had a job that he liked and allowed him to finish his book, which he planned to publish one day with the help of Eddie. As he lived day by day with no worries other than finding those warm black eyes again.

Eddie was happy for him. However, the comment left a thorn of insecurity. Bill knew Eddie had kissed two boys in college. Eddie always thought it was because of hormones, liquor and the freedom to be away from his suffocating mother that had led him to do so. 

Beyond that, he had always been very private and did not like crowds. So it had been a natural thing to become friends with Myra during a night of solitary study in the library at college. 

He thought briefly of Richard. He blushed and shook his head to clear it of useless thoughts. He had to push himself to sell more books if he wanted his little corner bookstore to survive the new Mall that was opening soon. One of the largest publishing houses in the country, would open a mega bookstore with a cafeteria inside. The giant T and T.

  
*

  
Richie was standing in front of his office window.No shoes and his tie hanging on either side of the open collar of his shirt. In his hand a whiskey. Looking in the distance at the lights of the city which ignored his lonely existence several stories near the clouds.

Everything was dim, except for the light from his desk. The door opened slowly and his assistant, Mike Hanlon, entered with two containers of food for dinner.

"What are you thinking, Tozier? Don't tell me you're stressed about the opening? .. I brought dinner. I knew you'd still be here. You've been distracted."

\- "Thanks, Mike. I was thinking of a compact man with brown eyes ... again."

\- "Why don't you call him? Maybe he wants to go to the opening conference?"

\- "Nah. You know, Mike? I think we're destined to long for men we've only seen once in our lives."

Mike laughed and began serving their portions on china plates. Thai food it was tonight.

\- "You can call him at least. You have a name ... and a phone number! I just have a nickname and nothing else. You know well he has not returned to the club since the day we met. And ..9 months is too much to keep waiting."


	4. Chapter 4

The shoulders of the Emporium heir Tozier and Tozier visibly slumped. He sighed and finished what was left in his glass in one gulp. He turned to sit next to his childhood friend.

\- "I can't .. Do you know.. the irony of this fucking life? He owns the little store around the corner. The bookstore that we're going to destroy to its foundations after the mall opens .. He's going to hate me. And he didn't even seem ... gay..I don't have a chance Mickey Mike. ".

\- "You're being judgmental. Maybe you should visit him after the interview tomorrow ... who knows. Maybe you will make a friend."

Richie smiled.

\- "You never give up, do you? You always see the bright side of things."

Mike smiled and looked down at his own food.

He hadn't stopped going to the bar where he met Will. He treasured the memory of that night. Even if it had been in the darkness of his car. They both couldn't bear the urge to be skin against skin. As cliché as it could be unprotected sex in the back seat of a car in an dark alley behind a nightclub.

  
*

Myra was growing more paranoid with every passing day. They hadn't argued again over her suspicions, but Eddie sensed she was watching his every move. It was making him uncomfortable. He decided that if it got worse, he would take a few days and tell her he was to attend a conference for a couple of days.

Indeed he had received an invitation, but it was from the Publishing company T y T that would soon open a giant module at the new Mall. It would obliterated the small bookstores in the area. Eddie had no plans to assist.

  
*

Beverly drove fast. She wore very large and round sunglasses. They partially covered the bruise on her cheekbone. The wind was blowing her hair. A couple of suitcases in the back seat of the sports car.

She was heading to her aunt's . She hadn't told anyone about her departure. While Tom worked, she packed her bags and took the documents that were inside the orders folder. They had Tom's signature. He had signed without realizing they were Beverly's salvation. He signed granting half the business to the redhead and her one-sided divorce.

Bev knew it was risky, but luckily he hadn't read them. She chose the moment when he was on his cell phone talking to business associates. He didn't even look at what he was signing for the designs photos that covered most of the papers.

It was dirty and low, but after the words and expletives from the day before, Bev was sure she would only escape his clutches on an ambulance stretcher if she did not do something before it.

She made sure to transfer all contacts and important information and photos to a new phone. She had thrown away the previous one. No chip or battery. 

She had her money safe and half the company. She had something to fight with. She was not alone, nor without a penny, as she felt when she report the abuse at the police station and later at the association for protection of victims . 

She planned everything in advance. No expected it to work, but luckily it did and she had left that house that she could no longer call home. Not since the first time Tom raised a hand against her. All she needed now was to call her closest friends. Eddie and Bill ..

She had no stomach for it at the moment. She just wanted to run away. She blinked tears and suddenly the vehicle began to make noises. The engine was hot. Bev had traveled for hours. She had to stop at a workshop if she wanted to keep going.

She saw a house with a really modern and bright architecture. She would stop to ask for a workshop nearby. She was still afraid to turn on her phone again. Even though she had changed all the passwords as well as turned off the location on all apps.

She stopped the vehicle and got out. It could be see a smiling young man approaching the door through the large windows that made up the walls of the first floor of the beautiful house.

\- "Hello. Excuse me. Do you know where I can find a workshop near here? I think my car is overheated ..".

The man smiled.

\- "Hi. Of course I'll give you the number of the workshop I go to." 

As he dictated her the number Bev felt the man's gaze on her. She was starting to get a little nervous. Would he have recognized her?

\- "Um..excuse me. You look familiar .. Do we.. went to school together in Derry? .. Beverly ?."

Bev stopped writing and looked at him in surprise.Now that she was looking at him his eyes were familiar. 

\- "Ben ?."

They both smiled at the same time. Ben nodded and Beverly pounced on him, hugging him by his neck tightly. Ben had been her best friend in elementary school and part of high school until his family had moved out of Derry.


	5. Chapter 5

Eddie was worried. Beverly wasn't answering her phone or her e-mails. He was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He thought the worst. 

"Calm down, Eddie. Maybe she's on a business trip and forgot to tell you. She's a very busy woman after all. Don't think the worst of it. It's only been a couple of days."

Bill said, while organizing a box of children's books that should go to the store room. Eddie dug his fingers into his own hair. His elbows were on the counter. 

Eddie felt his friend's hand gently squeeze his shoulder.

At that moment, Patty was walking through the door with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a tray with three coffees in the other. She put the flowers on a vase.

\- "Hey guys. I went to the new library..you know ... to do some reconnaissance on enemy's ground."

Both men looked at her. Bill laughed a little and Eddie frowned.

\- "You make it look like I care about the information you bring back."

His hand reaching for a coffee cup, but the lack woman pulled the tray out of his reach before he could take it.

\- "Just so you know ... I was curious and it's healthy to meet your competition. It helps you to improve your own business ... and these little eyes catched the cutest boy I've seen in a loooong time."

Both men rolled their eyes. The woman continued.

\- "Bill, darling..I saw a black Adonis working at the T and T bookstore .. if you are interested.".

Patty winked at him. Bill looked down and blushed.

\- "Maybe I c-could go ... out of curiosity" ..

Eddie looked at them in shock.

\- "Patty! Bill! ... I should fire you for trying to sleep with the enemy !.

Patty smiled and set the tray of coffees on the counter. Each man took a cup.

\- "You won't. You love us .. and I would never abandon you for another job .. This is my home and you are my family .. although Bill would leave you for his dark greek god , if he ever finds him."

Eddie was moved for a moment and laughed at the comment about Bill. The latter retired to the back muttering his discontent.

The truth was that he was so drunk the night he meet the black Adonis he forgot to ask for his name. He only managed to tell him his college nickname. The worst was that he did not remember in which nightclub or bar he had met him. 

He barely remembered his surroundings. What he could never forget was the man's voice and face.On nights when he felt most alone, his memories bring him nostalgia and ...pleasure. How could you miss someone you only knew for a few hours?.

Bill continued sealing boxes with tape and organizeing them in the small storeroom. A nostalgic smile lit up his face.

*   
The cold breeze blew in through the ajar window.The curtains moved, giving a more haunted air to the atmosphere of the small bachelor's apartment.It was just a room with a window and a small bathroom ... nothing more.

It was perfect for Eddie during his bachelor years. Now it was a haven to escape to when life threatened to suffocate him.

The night found Eddie sitting, in slippers and with his shirt opened by the window. It was cold, but the liquor warmed the blood in his veins. It made him feel calmer and also even more alone in the world.

Hours before, he had argued with Myra. He no longer remembered why she had started the argument. Only the woman's last words had cut him like a knife. Maybe because deep down he was afraid they were true.

The woman had yelled at him that he was nobody.That he went so unnoticed through life and the world that the only person who had paid attention to him had been her. That if it hadn't been for her he would be a shadow of a man and no one could ever love him.

Eddie had yelled back at her that it was not true and had left with only his wallet and keys. On the way he wondered if what Myra had yelled at him was a reflection of the life he led.

In truth, Eddie had no friends other than his own employees: Patty and Bill, and their friend Beverly.His life was so routine and monotonous that nothing really happened. Would he do the same things until he die? Every day same as the last? The routine gave him comfort. It made him feel in control of something as uncontrollable and as unpredictable as only life can be. But what if nothing happened in his? Nothing had changed in ten years of marriage, except perhaps that their previously comfortable friendship had evolved into a tepid marriage.

He sighed and finished his drink in one go. He closed the window and wrote a quick email to Bev.

_' R. I don't know where you are or what you are doing, but I hope you are safe. Today was terrible . It has made me analyze what I am doing with my life. What have I been doing for the last few years? I don't know if I want to know the answer. I don't know if I want to continue._   
_E.'._

He put his phone down. He would take a shower and put his clothes in the washing machine. He would try to sleep and maybe be late for work for the first time in ten years. At least that would be something new.

  
*

  
At some point in the morning, a ping from his cell phone failed to wake Richie. He had gone to bed late preparing for a conference and then an interview on a morning television show.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Richie misinterprets an email. suicide ideation (it is a misunderstanding)

> Richie got up early for the interview. He noticed a new email notification. He did not recognize the sender.

EKangrybydefault@gmail.com

  
He sat down to breakfast. In one hand a cup of coffee and in the other his cell phone. He opened the mail and his heart started racing with every word. He did not know the author. Obviously they got the wrong person, but the tone of the letter alarmed him. It seemed like it was from a desperate person and the final sentence sounded like a goodbye.

Richie knew what it was like to feel completely alone and hopeless. He never contemplated suicide but he understood perfectly in which kind of zone the sender mind was. He felt the duty to make contact.Sometimes one call or a message was all it took to save someone's life. 

He answered as best as he could. Erasing and rewriting sentences with trembling fingers.

After sending the mail he took small breaths to try to calm himself. He had an interview on life tv. For several minutes he sat there waiting for an answer. When it was clear that he would not get it soon he sighed and decided to dress up for the day. For the rest of the morning he would have the same worry in the back of his mind.

*

Eddie woke up with the worst hangover he had ever had in ten years. He whined. He was naked in the middle of the bed. He went to the bathroom on unsteady legs and saw his clothes were still in the dryer. At least he had showered. 

He frowned. Showering completely wasted was very dangerous. It had been a stupid idea. He looked for his phone to look at the time and noticed he had an e-mail. He sat down quickly on the bed. Would it be Bev?

It was an unknown email ..

Not so unknown. He had entered the address on his contacts but had forgotten to write who it belonged to. His head ached. It must be a client. Why the hell hadn't he written their full name? , he thought. The initials on the address didn't seem familiar to him at all. 

He opened the message.

' _Hey, buddy. I know it must be desperate times for you. ..that you must be at the edge of the abyss, but believe me I understand you. I've seen the darkness and wanted to just let it all go. So I hope you believe me. Do not do it. I know everything looks bad now, but things change ... they always change. If you think I can help you with something ... whatever it may be.Just talk to me ... when you feel worse don't do anything. Do not think it. Just write to me ... please. I'm here. I see you. I hear you .. let me hear you .._  
 _R. '_

  
Eddie didn't know what to think of it. In his drunken state he had emailed a stranger instead of Beverly the night before. He felt ashamed but he was also tempted to talk to someone who didn't know him.He dared not tell anyone how he felt. Sometimes he just wanted to vent a bit but didn't want to worry his best friend any more. She already had a more difficult life than his. And now... he didn't even know where she was or if she was okay ..

Part of him wanted to believe someone was out there. A stranger ... who cared about him. Someone other than Beverly, Patty, or Bill. The words were so sincere and the tone so sweet. Eddie's eyes filled with tears. He covered his face with a forearm and sighed. He didn't want to cry ..

He weighed the possibility of having a friendship with someone online. Something he's never done before. And he decided to write something quickly and then brush his teeth. He would look for something to eat at the shops or cafes near the bookstore.

  
*

  
Richie was done with the interview. Now he was in his car. He kept thinking about the person from the wrong email. He hoped they were okay. He sighed and started his car. There was message in his cell phone.

He thought it might be Mike telling him he had exaggerated a bit in the interview. Telling him to be more humble. Richie knew he had talked a little too much. But he was actually confident the Mall store would be the best of all. It was the only project in which his father had given him free pass to work as he wished. Richie had. He had done his best and hoped it would be the company's best investment. The project was his baby.

He got to his office and smiled when he saw Mike.He greeted him with a cup of coffee and they walked into Richie's office together.

\- "You do not look as happy as someone who gives a tv interview for the first time would be ... Was it so bad behind the scenes ?."

Joked his friend. Richie collapsed onto the leather sofa that he hated so much and always forgot to replace with a more comfortable one. He took his cell phone out of his pocket and started looking at his messages.

\- "Meh .. If you consider that the interviewer gave me her phone number putting her card in the back pocket of my pants ... then it was terrible ... the makeup guy on the other hand mmm to bite my knuckles ... oh! . ".

Mike looked at him confused. Richie sat forward with his elbows on his knees. 

It was a response from the mysterious E.

-"Everything's fine?".

Mike asked, taking the cup of coffee from the dangerous position Richie had placed it on the arm of the couch.

Richie didn't hear him.

_'Dear R. Please forgive me for disrupting your day with a pathetic email from a stranger. It was not my intention to alarm anyone. Do not worry about me. I am better now. I was drunk and felt depressed last nnight.Forgive me again._   
_E.'._

Richie wrote back on the spot.

_'It's not a bother, E. Really !. If you need someone to talk to ... I am here._  
 _I'm glad you're better. If you feel depressed or bored or just want to talk shit, you can contact me. My friends say that I am funny. I guess I have to believe them._ 😉.  
 _R. '_

  
*   
Eddie laughed reading the mail. He unconsciously bit into a donut he had taken from the box that Bill brought in that morning.

Patty and Bill looked at him out of the corner of their eyes, puzzled. Eddie's plain baguel lay on a plate next to the donuts box. It was a miracle he was eating something so sugary and fried. 

Both employees looked at each other and only shrugged . They kept observing the strange specimen who had been not only showed up late for work but had drastically changed his eating habits within hours.

Eddie answered the email from the strange R, whom he had mistaken for Red the night before.

' _Thank you, but I think I'll be the judge of that .._  
 _I hope you have a good day and thanks for caring._  
 _E'._

He received an answer almost immediately and laughed finishing his donut.

' _Dear E ... challenge accepted. You will see that I will make you laugh at least once before the end of the day, It is a bet._ 😎

_R_ '.


	7. Chapter 7

By the evening, Richie had made Eddie laugh several times. Myra still didn't speak to him. They both avoided each other from the argument and Eddie didn't have the will to apologize just to get back to the tense peace they had lived in since the fashion event. 

As he did his night jog around the block. Eddie received a call from an unknown number. For a second he thought of the strange friend R. He felt nervous and stopped running. He picked up.

Seconds later his eyes filled with tears of relief as he recognized the voice.

\- "Eddie ?."

  
\- "BEV? !! Where are you? Are you okay?!. Where the hell were you? I thought you were hurt or worse !. You vanished from the face of the earth..oh God..Bev ..

\- "Eddie. I'm sorry .. I didn't mean to worry you. I had to disappear for a while. I knew Tom would stood watch my contacts .. I'm ok .. I swear I'm ok. I'm staying with a childhood friend. Tom won't find me here. and also .. I got the divorce papers .. Eddie ?. "

Eddie was propping himself up on his knees. He had to sit on a border of planter plants by the side of the sidewalk. His eyes wide open. Bev had taken the step .. after so long .. she was starting to take steps to be free again .. Eddie was so proud and happy for his best friend.

\- "Eddie? .. are you there?"

Bev could hear the man's labored breaths. Her own eyes filled with tears. Eddie still didn't say anything. Beverly continued.

\- "I'm safe .. I love you." 

Eddie's cracking voice was heard on the other end of the line.

\- "Me too .. Take care, Red. Will I see you soon?"

-"Yes..".

The redhead smiled. Ben handed her a cup of tea.

*

Days pass. Every morning or night the two men would go through their emails and start a conversation that could go on for hours. 

Eddie was in a better mood. Bill no longer heard him complain about his marriage. Which seemed odd to him along with Eddie's strange behavior. He was obviously talking to someone, but there was no room in Bill's mind for Eddie to be unfaithful.Also if he tried to ask Eddie would just say it was an internet friend and he refused to go into details.

Several blocks away, in a multi-story building, Mike was also in awe of Richie's sudden change in demeanor. Now he was more animated than usual and his energy extended into the night. Even when he had meetings with his father. Meetings that always left him exhausted and mafe him want to change careers.

It's been so long since his friend had a friendship other than him and maybe Stanley. With whom Richie had had a fleeting and intense romance but which in the end they had both decided they were better as friends than lovers.

Mike was happy for him and decided that he would force him down if necessary, to reveal who the mysterious E was. 

  
*

It was around 4 in the afternoon when Patty announced that she was going to spy on the competition again. Eddie disagreed and had insisted that if she really wanted get the delicious coffee they sold at the Mall and flirt with the employees there she didn't need to make up excuses. Bill called her a traitor and then threatened not to bring her any more donuts if she didn't come back with another coffee for him.

Patty laughed out loud as she walked out the door.

*

  
Patty came back an hour later, smiling with two coffees in hand. One for Eddie and one for Bill.

Bill looked at her suspiciously. Had he been more observant he would have immediately noticed the reason for her good spirits before Patty bombarded them with smiles and melodramatic sighs.

She gave them their coffees and leaned against the cash register resting her head on her forearms.

\- "I met the love of my life!" ..

Bill and Eddie looked at her with raised eyebrows.

\- "Oh no! .. they convinced you with commercial titles, bestsellers and coffee?"

Eddie said sarcastically.

\- "Again? .. Is it the same g-guy or a new one?" ..

Bill said suspiciously. 

\- "Mmm nah. These little eyes focused like a telescopic sight on the same beautiful white specimen with blue eyes and chocolate curls ... an glorious ass ... Needless to say I sucked his soul out through his mouth at the personel restroom"..

Patty looked proud of herself. There was noone who could resist such a beauty with dark skin, full lips, and dazzling smile, and she knew it.

Patty smiled at them, biting her lip.

\- "His name is Stan."

Said the woman moving her hips half-dancing. Eddie tried not to laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. Bill just rolled his eyes.


End file.
